“Sapphire, you’re looking beautiful,” Lars said. “Nothing more beautiful than a glowing woman. I remember when Mrs. Barsetti was pregnant with Conway. She’s never looked more radiant.”
“She definitely didn’t look more radiant with Vanessa, that’s for sure,” I teased.
My parents came down the stairs to greet us. My father came first, greeting Sapphire before even looking at me. “Sweetheart, you look nice.” He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. “My son has been taking care of you, right?”
“Waits on me hand and foot,” Sapphire said.
It was the truth. I wanted to make sure she was relaxed and happy. The doctor said stress could contribute to a miscarriage, and the idea scared me so much that I’d been doing everything to make sure that didn’t happen. Ironically, I didn’t want to be a father when she became pregnant, but now that her belly was big, I felt like a father without a child.
My mother greeted her next. “So beautiful.” She hugged her for a long time, squeezing her gently. “I can’t wait to meet my grandbaby. I know they’ll be so beautiful, with both of your features.”
“I’m excited too,” Sapphire said. “I can’t wait to see if it’s a boy or girl.”
My parents stared at her, watching her rub her stomach.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, hi?”
“Oh, sorry.” Mom tapped herself on the forehead. “We’re excited to see you too, son.” She hugged me.
I rolled my eyes. “It didn’t seem like it.”
“You know I love you.” She squeezed me. “I’m just so excited about the baby. We’re going to have a new Barsetti around here.”
My father came next, the usual affection gone from his eyes. There was no reason for him to be upset with me, but something was obviously bothering him. He hugged me, but it wasn’t long or deep. “How was the drive?”
“It was okay.” I didn’t ask what was really bothering him, knowing I should do it in private.
“Are you hungry, Sapphire?” Mom asked. “Lars made dinner.”
“I’m always hungry,” Sapphire said. “I used to have a small appetite, but now I can’t seem to stop.”
“Being pregnant is the best,” Mom said with a laugh. “Let’s go into the dining room.”
I turned to follow them, but my father grabbed me by the arm. “I want to talk to you alone in my study.”
We didn’t have private conversations in the study unless some serious shit had hit the fan. “What is it?”
He nodded toward the stairs, refusing to share that information with me while we were out in the open. We headed to the third floor and then stepped inside his study with the two leather couches, the paintings with buttons, and the endless supply of liquor. As per tradition, he poured two glasses of scotch.
My father had asked me to come down for a visit, but he never said why. I knew now he was about to tell me. “Enough with the anticipation.”
My father held the glass between both of his hands but didn’t give an answer. His head was bowed, slightly in defeat. “I wasn’t going to tell you any of this because I thought I could handle the situation on my own. I figured the problem would be gone almost a month ago. But since it’s not going anywhere, I can’t keep it from you. You should know what’s happening…”
I was actually scared, afraid of what my father would say. There was nothing he couldn’t fix, so whatever this was, it was big. “Tell me.”
“Alright.” He set the glass down, not having taken a drink. “It’s gonna be a big pill to swallow. It’s about Vanessa.”
My sister was the most annoying brat on the planet. She infuriated me as much as she demanded my respect. But I loved her so much, would do anything for her, so the second her name was mentioned, I was scared on a whole new level.
“Remember Bones? The man you saw at the Underground?”
Like I’d ever forget seeing my enemy’s son. “Yes…”
“Vanessa is seeing him.”
“Seeing him how…?” There was no way she was dating him. That was preposterous.
“Dating him,” my father said. “Seriously dating him.”
I heard every single word, but my body rejected the sentence. My spitfire sister was sleeping with the son of the man who’d damaged our lives? “Are you sure?” Vanessa was too smart to do something like that. She was too stubborn, like the rest of the Barsettis. “That just doesn’t sound right.”
He nodded. “I’m sure. She told me she loves him…”
My fingers slackened, and I almost dropped my glass. “What?”
He nodded again. “I knew she’d been seeing someone for a while, but she never introduced him to us. Your mom talked to her about it a few times and knew Vanessa was intensely in love with someone. I told Vanessa I wanted to meet him, reminded her that she’s old enough to introduce me to a man she loves. And that’s who she introduced me to…Bones.”